Afraid of the Dark
by jhwalter17
Summary: A what-if scenario if Quinn decided that since he and everyone else in the FAYZ were going to die, why not take a risk with the girl he has a huge crush on, Lana? Mainly Quana, with a bit of Caina thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

Quinn stares dully into the bonfire, sitting next to Caine, Lana, and other kids. The fire was beginning to get lower, so Caine raised his hand, causing a few desks to fall into the flame, As they caught fire, it began to burn brighter and more intensely. Quinn sighs and glances at Lana, who is also staring into the flames. He wanted so desperately to tell her how much he still cared about her, and how he was sorry he had let her go when he had the chance. How he'd been a coward. But she was the Healer, and he was just Quinn, the Fisherman. Sure he fed the town, but it was nothing compared to her. And Quinn liked Sanjit, he was a great guy. He even volunteered to help Quinn fish once, and he wasn't half bad. He didn't want to do that to her or to him. Plus, it would be super awkward for Quinn if she knew how he really felt, since he enjoyed hanging out with her. Quinn looks backwards into the darkness. He bites his lip. If it really was the end, well… Patrick walks over to Quinn, wagging his tail. He puts his head onto Quinn's lap. Quinn scratches him behind the ears, thinking. He thought about what could have been between them. He could have been living with her, sleeping with her, keeping her company, making her feel better when she was depressed. But no. He should have tried to help her, not run away. Quinn sighs again. Caine looks to him, annoyed.

"Do you mind shutting up? I'm kind of in the mood for silence."

Quinn looks up from the fire. "Sorry. I was just thinking...about stuff." A house catches fire down the street behind where Quinn is sitting. He stands quickly. "Shit. I should take care of that," Quinn says.

Caine laughs. "Don't bother. We're all going to die soon, who the hell cares if a house, or two, or even the whole town burns down?" He shrugs nonchalantly.

Quinn sits back down and took a deep breath. "Yeah. But, still..."

Caine grits his teeth. "No, you don't get it, do you? Once the light goes, we're all done, unless Sam somehow is able to find us. But that wouldn't matter anyway. We won't be able to grow food. We'll all starve." Caine exhales, frustrated.

Quinn swallows and puts his head in his hands. "Yeah. But this is my hometown. I….I can't just..."

Caine shakes his head slowly. "Look, I'm sorry, Fisherman. I really am. But you can't do anything. This isn't like your little strike. You don't have any power here."

Lana picks her head up. "No. Caine, you're wrong." She thinks. "Well, right about the power thing. Sorry, Quinn, We're all hopeless there. But you're wrong that he can't do anything. We all can do something to fight it. To fight the gaiaphage. We need to keep living, for as long as possible. I believe in Sam, I'm sure Quinn does, and I hope you can too, Caine. He'll make it here somehow."

Caine smirks at her. "Wow, were you thinking of that little speech this whole time? Is that why you were so distant?" Lana shoots a dark look at Caine, causing him to swallow nervously.

"Lana, is everything okay?" Quinn asks.

"Why do you ask?" She responds.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you've been staring into the fire for the past twenty minutes looking like you want to jump in. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm not okay so I just want to hear someone say that they are, but that wouldn't make sense since it's you. Or maybe I'm crazy. Who knows anymore."

The faint traces of a smile appear on Lana's face. "Well, I don't think you're crazy. Not yet, anyway. And I was just thinking. About stuff." Quinn smiles. Lana frowns. "The gaiaphage. It's impatient. It wants a body, and it's so close. And I can't do shit to stop it," she says bitterly.

"I thought you said if we stay alive, that'll help stop it," Caine says.

"No, I said that's how we can fight it. But it'll be much harder to stay alive if it has a body," Lana says, annoyed. "And of course you know it wants yours and Diana's baby. And it needs Diana to get it. Probably sent Drake after her." Caine's eyes widen. He nods slowly. "Don't worry. She's alive. For now. Until the baby is born."

Caine exhales. "Okay," Caine says quietly, nodding. "Okay." He takes a shaky breath.

Lana smirks. "What, no smarm anymore?"

"I...I don't know. It's just...after everything with Penny, I was at my lowest point. So I thought I could build myself back up, get back on my feet. But now, I...I can't stop thinking about Diana. And how much she's suffering. And how I'm so fucking useless that I can only stay alive?! How's that helping her, Lana?!" Caine shouts emotionally, standing up. "She's out there, in the dark, with Drake, or the gaiaphage, and I'm stuck here! All because...because…" Caine sits down again. "I just...I just want to be with Diana," he says softly.

Quinn clears his throat. Lana looks over to him. "Lana, you never answered if you were okay," he says.

Lana thinks for a few seconds. "I guess as much as I could be in this situation." Quinn nods slowly. She holds out her hand. Quinn takes it and squeezes it. She holds one out to Caine, too, but he ignores her. "We have to stay calm and hope that Sam will make it here, somehow. I sent Sanjit to let him know we needed lights." They sit in silence for a few seconds. Lana's eyes widen. "Oh, God, I hope he made it okay. Especially considering I might never see him again," Lana says bitterly.

Quinn curls his lip and sighs. "He's fast and a quick thinker. I'm...I'm sure he's fine," Quinn says reassuringly. "You really like him, don't you?" Quinn asks.

Lana nods. "Yeah. He's great. Probably not someone I'd get together with in the real world, but in here, he keeps me sane."

Caine shakes his head slowly. They both turn to look at him. "No. There's no way. With no light, we're dead. There's no way out. It doesn't matter anymore. The light keeps us all sane," he says softly, beginning to tear up.

Quinn takes a deep breath. _Well, I guess it's now or never then_, he thinks to himself. Quinn stands up, releasing Lana's hand. "Hey, Lana, um, can I...talk to you about something? In private? Caine can watch over everything for a bit. Probably."

Lana scrunches her brow. "What?"

Quinn swallows. "I just have something important I need to tell you."


	2. Chapter 2

Lana follows Quinn down the street. Where was he taking her? It wasn't in the direction of the fire. Well, she had brought him to an alley just to show him how dark it was, so she wasn't really one to talk. They continue walking down the street until they could barely see one another in the faint light. Quinn stops walking. "Okay, this is far enough. We can still see a bit here."

Lana looks around them. They are standing in front of an ice cream store. "Quinn, what is this? Why are we here?" She asks.

He takes a deep breath and swallows. "The location doesn't really matter. I just need to...I…" He trails off, looking at the street.

Lana raises an eyebrow. "You need to what, Quinn? Spit it out."

"I...it's...dark, isn't it?" Quinn asks, flustered.

"Um, yeah, I told you that already. And it's super obvious anyway."

Quinn sighs. "We need to go farther. Let's keep going."

Lana shrugs. "As long as you actually tell me what you're thinking about. You can't hide things from me." Quinn nods slowly. Lana follows Quinn until they can't see one another.

He takes another deep breath. "Lana, I一" Lana gasps and grabs his arm. "What? What's wrong?!" Quinn exclaims.

Lana takes short breaths and releases his arm. "The gaiaphage. Drake just reached the mineshaft. We don't have much time."

"Are...are you sure?" Quinn asks nervously.

Lana stares at him intensely. "Quinn, I think I'd know." Quinn takes a shaky breath and reaches for her arm. Lana slaps him across the face.

"Ow, what the hell!?" He exclaims, touching his cheek.

"That was my boob, dumbass," Lana says, annoyed.

Quinn blushes. "Oh. Oh, I...I'm sorry, I…"

"Hmph. Whatever. It was an accident. But anyway, tell me what you're hiding now so we can head back. We need to use what time we have left to prepare."

Quinn nods slowly. "Fine." Quinn leans in and kisses Lana. Her eyes widen for a second, but then she closes her eyes, kissing him back. They fall backwards, onto a patch of grass kissing and grabbing at one another, rolling on the grass. After a few more seconds, Lana pushes him off of her and then punches him in the face and then the stomach. He winces and grins. "I guess I deserve that," he says, winded.

"What the hell, Quinn? Why would you do that?" Lana says angrily.

He shrugs and touches his face. "It might be the end, Lana. I don't want to have any regrets if I'm going to die. And besides, you kissed me back."

"That...that was…" Lana says, flushed with anger and embarrassment. "I...I love Sanjit. He's great. But...but, you, you were….you were special. And, I don't know, maybe I wanted to know what I could have had if you weren't such a scared little bitch!"

Quinn sighs. "You're right, I was scared, at the time. I wish I wasn't, it's one of my biggest regrets. Sanjit wasn't scared. He's been through hell, so it's understandable. I wish I could have been more like him. It's just…" Quinn bites his lip. "It's just that you're this amazing figure, the Healer, and I'm just some worker, just a fisherman. I'm not really worthy to be with you. But I still can't get you out of my head. I still like you and care about you."

"Oh." Lana looks down at the ground. "Quinn, you have such a low opinion of yourself. It's kinda sad, really. Look around you...metaphorically, I guess. This whole town only survived because of the fish that you brought in. You're the Fisherman, capital F, just like I'm the Healer, capital H. You're one of the most powerful and influential people here. You made Caine of all people succumb to you. You beat up Penny. All of that is super impressive and brave, and I wish you could realize that. Hell, you kissed me here, and that takes guts. If it was light out I would have shot you. You might not think you're good enough for me, but I've always thought that you were. Since the beginning. And I wished you'd realized sooner."

Quinn says nothing for a while, making Lana wonder if she had knocked him unconscious with her punch. "Wow...Huh...Huh...Hey, um, you might not, but do you remember that night we danced at the McClub?"

"Yeah. It was fun, what about it?"

Quinn smiles. "Well, the only reason I started fishing in the first place was because of the whole metaphor you were talking about with the gaiaphage." Lana's eyes widen. Her mouth opens. "So, I guess I have you to thank for making me change for the better into this strong person you say that I am."

Lana smiles. "I guess I do. Here, let's head to a bit of light so we can see each other." Lana stands, and Quinn follows her back to the ice cream store. Lana and Quinn look at one another. They both are blushing, causing them to look away. Lana sighs. "Now, look, Quinn, I still do...like you. I still care about you. There, I said it. Hooray." Quinn smiles shyly. "But, and a big but, I'm still with Sanjit right now, who I also like and care about. So I'm sorry, but if somehow we survive this darkness, nothing will change between us, except probably awkwardness."

Quinn nods slowly. "Yeah, I thought so."

"But, I'm glad we both got this out, since if it is the end, you're right, we shouldn't hold things inside." Lana wraps Quinn in a hug. He hugs her back. "You know if we make it, I'm going to have to tell Sanjit what happened," she whispers.

Quinn nods. "Yeah. And I'd want you to." He stops talking for a few seconds. Quinn bites his lip, causing Lana to frown. "But...Lana, you said you wouldn't really be into Sanjit outside of the FAYZ. What if we get out of here somehow? What about then?"

Lana sighs. "I don't know, Quinn. We'll cross that bridge if we get to it. But...I don't know, maybe I'd be open to giving you a shot." Quinn grins and breaks from the hug. She smirks. "Don't get your hopes up. I said maybe. And if the FAYZ comes down it'll be since the gaiaphage gets free and we'd all be dead. And you'd better not act any differently than before this whole conversation, got it?"

Quinn nods curtly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Perfect. Now let's head back. The fire's dying and we're almost out of kindling. And Caine's having his episode." She glances back at him. "I hope you're not afraid of the dark."


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been a while, but I finally found the time to write this third chapter since I'm on break. Quinn and Lana meeting up after the FAYZ. Let's see what happens. ;-)**

Quinn sighs, glancing at his phone. _It's 12:25…_ he thinks. _She said she'd meet me here at 12:30._

"Excuse me, sir?" A hostess approaches Quinn.

He smiles at her. "Yes, sorry? Is the table ready?" Quinn asks.

The hostess nods. "Right this way."

Quinn stands up from the bench and follows her to a table, in the back of the diner. It had been about a year since he had last seen her, at that one interview with CNN. But it was as a group, so it wasn't really the same, and he didn't want Sam or Edilio or any of his other friends to think that he was hung up on a girl for so long. But Lana was special, they didn't get it. Quinn bites his lip. He didn't want to ever go back to the hell that was the FAYZ, but at least he and Lana could talk to one another without some adult coming up to them and saying how sorry they were, or some magazine like TMZ thinking they were some new, hot couple. "The story they made on Sam and Astrid…" Quinn laughs softly to himself, shaking his head slowly. He missed Lana, though. Her snarky, no-nonsense attitude, her attractive yet not beautiful looks, her rare smile that she seemed to only dish out for certain people. He takes out his phone again, opening the camera, looking at himself. Quinn rubs his hair. He hadn't changed, not that much. He still enjoys fishing, and even interns on a boat, so his physique has kept up. And he got taller. "That's a plus…" he mutters, straightening the collar on his shirt. Quinn looks down at his phone, at his text thread with Lana. He had gotten her number from the group chat, but eventually worked up the courage to text just her. From there they had semi-normal conversations, but there was still tension and awkwardness. There always had been, since that kiss, in the darkness. It had been so long ago...but since then she had broken up with Sanjit, and, well…. Quinn just felt lucky that his dad had gone to Vegas for a business deal, and Quinn asked to go so he could visit Lana. Thankfully, she offered to grab lunch together. And she seemed pretty excited that he was visiting. Quinn pushes his hair back again and bites his thumbnail. He realizes this and smiles sadly. "Just like Caine…" he says quietly, sighing and waiting for his crush to arrive.

Lana walks up to the door of the diner, checking to make sure that the address was right. She takes a deep breath outside, not sure if she was ready to see him again. It had been so long since they had last talked, and she wasn't sure if he'd even be the same guy he was. And even though she had moved on from Sanjit at that point in her life, she still fondly yet frighteningly remembered the kiss that she and Quinn had shared in the darkness, when they thought that all hope was lost. How they were both desperate, scared, and full of hormones, grabbing and touching each others' bodies, never wanting to let go. The heat that they shared, the intimacy, and...and...Lana touches her face. It is hot, and she realizes that she is blushing. She swallows, frowning. _I'm not supposed to be like this…_ she thinks to herself. _I'm not like that, all embarrassed over a kiss. I'm better than that. I'm Lana Arwen Lazar. So what if I enjoyed it? I'm a teenager, I'm allowed to. Whatever._ After the FAYZ, Lana had gotten herself back to normal. Well, relatively. Her period had gone back to normal and color had returned to her skin and hair. Physically, she was back to how she was before the FAYZ, and she had even gotten a bit taller, and her boobs and butt had gotten a bit bigger. So people could say that she was hotter. Of course, she was still mentally fucked up and had almost tried to kill a kid who dared to flirt with her. _Yay...puberty…_ she sighs, still pacing outside of the diner. People glance at her, walking by. _I probably should go inside…_ Lana grumbles, entering the diner. She glances around at the booths, looking for Quinn.

A hostess walks up to her. "Hello, welcome. Are you by yourself, or are you waiting for someone?" She asks Lana.

"I can find him myself," Lana says, pushing past the hostess to find Quinn. She finds him in the back of the diner, nervously taking sips of water. "What, are you that scared of me?" Lana says, smirking as she walks up to him.

Quinn's eyes widen, and he puts down the glass, making a small smile. "Lana, hey." He stands up out of the booth and walks over to her. Quinn spreads his arms for a hug while Lana offers her hand for a high-five. Quinn bites his lip, awkward, backing away.

Lana swallows. "Ha, oops. My bad," she says, punching his shoulder lightly. "I missed you, Quinn. It's nice to see you," she says, patting him on the shoulder. They both sit back down at the booth. She picks up the other glass of water at the table, taking a sip.

"You...um...you're looking good," Quinn says shyly, scratching his chin.

Lana nods. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. What did you grow 3 inches?"

Quinn nods. "Yeah, just about. You look taller too. And...I don't know, just more vibrant."

Lana makes a small smile. "Thanks, Quinn. I mean, I've been eating and sleeping proper amounts, so my period's back and my boobs are bigger, so I can resume the glorious time of my life that is puberty. Yay."

Quinn blushes slightly and looks away. "Oh...um...that's...that's great...um…"

Lana laughs. "What, scared of the wonder of the female body? Vagina. Uterus. Fallopian tubes," Lana says, extending each word. "Sam told me he had a...similar reaction to Diana, so I guess you two are more similar than you thought. How's he doing, anyway?"

Quinn takes a sip of water, clearing his throat. "Oh, well, he and Astrid are doing great. Their house is really nice, and Sam's invited me to stay with them once I graduate. So I think I might do that unless something else comes up since I'll still be close to my parents and whatever. Oh, and Sam and I go surfing every Friday, after school, since I have my internship on a fishing boat on weekends."

Lana nods, interested. "Oh, wow, so you still fish? That's really cool. And it's great that you and Sam are still close."

Quinn nods, smiling. "Yeah, Sam's great. But how have you been? I know you were...going to therapy and...um...never mind…"

Lana frowns, closing her eyes. She sighs, opening them with a serious expression. "No, I'll talk about it. I've gone to therapy, yeah. I'm still screwed up in the head, and I don't know if I'll ever be fully better. But I'm working on it. And I've improved a lot during the year. I was supposed to go to a session today, but I decided to get lunch with you. I had to prioritize, you know?"

Quinn's eyes widen in concern. "Are you crazy? I'm not a priority, you should be helping yourself heal!"

Lana rolls her eyes. "Still the big, dumb, caring idiot. I don't care about my mental health right now. I'm fine here, with you." Lana pats Quinn's hand softly.

Quinn smiles, blushing slightly. "T..thanks, Lana. That's nice of you to say. So, um, what do you want to eat?" Quinn says, moving his hand out from under hers to grab a menu.

Lana sighs, biting her lip. She crosses her arms. "Just a burger and fries. And a chocolate shake."

Quinn nods, looking down at the menu. "Good choice. I'll get the same then, but with a vanilla shake." A waitress walks by them, and Quinn signals to her. He orders his meal, and then Lana's. The waitress takes their menus and walks away.

"I could've ordered myself, Quinn," Lana says.

Quinn's eyes widen. "Oh...I...um, sorry. Didn't realize," Quinn replies.

Lana frowns, narrowing her eyes. "Hey," she says, grabbing his face. "What's wrong? You're acting weird."

Quinn bites his lip. "It's nothing, I promise..."

Lana raises her eyebrow. "Don't be a dumbass, I can see right through you. Don't lie to me."

Quinn gulps, intimidated by Lana's ferocity. He takes a deep breath. "I just...I...can't stop thinking about...you know...when we kissed."

Lana lets go of Quinn's face, sitting back. "Glad it came out."

Quinn smiles. "That's what she said." Lana rolls her eyes. "Sorry," Quinn says. "It's just...I've still thought about it, a lot, and I...I don't know, I enjoyed it, and I missed you and I've been thinking about you, and…"

Lana stands up, leaning across the table, and kisses Quinn, grabbing his head with her two hands so they could stay like that for a few seconds. She breaks away, smirking at him. "I enjoyed it too. And I enjoyed that. A lot."

Quinn's eyes are as wide as possible, and he sits down, amazed. "You know, Quinn, I said that I might consider going out with you in the real world. And, hey, look where we are. The real fucking world."

Quinn smiles, happy. He starts laughing. "Sorry...sorry...I shouldn't. It's just, I've...this is...wow. I had this whole plan to win you over and then we'd kiss again, but you just ruined it. Damn, you're such a dom."

Lana's eyes widen this time, and she also laughs. "I guess I am. It was cute when you tried to be, though." Lana stands up from her side of the booth and slides in next to Quinn. "But we can talk more about us after lunch. I'm hungry, and I want to eat."

Quinn nods. "Yes, ma'am."

The rest of the meal goes smoothly, with Quinn and Lana both eating and enjoying their food, having conversations about how their lives are going, with school, friends, and families. Eventually, they both pay for their meal and they stand up, exiting the diner, walking next to one another.

Quinn intertwines his hand with hers, squeezing her hand. "Hey, Lana?"

Lana looks over at him. "Yeah, what's up?"

Quinn bites his lip. "Well, um, after high school, do you think that you're going to go to college?"

Lana thinks for a few seconds. "I don't really know. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure right now. Why do you ask?"

Quinn swallows. "Well, I was thinking that maybe, if you wanted to, once you finished college, you could move to closer to where I live, either in the same town or pretty close or whatever. Maybe we could even get a place, I don't know, together. But it's just a stupid idea...I don't know…"

Lana stops walking, facing Quinn, who swallows nervously, despite him being a foot taller than her. "Quinn, I absolutely hate Vegas. I would literally love nothing more than to live with you, near Sam and Diana and Astrid after high school." She kisses his cheek and wraps him a tight hug, placing her chin on his chest and looking up at him. "That is, as long as you're cool with Patrick waking you up at three in the morning to go for a walk. And, assuming we'd share a bed, Patrick would sleep with us. No negotiating. Am I being too forward? Maybe. Do I care? Nope."

Quinn's eyes widen, and he breaks from the hug, pushing his hair out of his eyes, surprised. After staring at Lana in shock for a few seconds, he bursts into laughter. "Shit, that's...wow. I mean, we still have like a year and a half of high school to get through, but it's nice to plan ahead. Wow...man, um...yeah, that's fine. Wow." Lana smirks again, punching his arm. Quinn rubs it, grabbing her hand and resuming their walking. He looks over at Lana. "Well, my dad still has like two hours left at his meeting. Probably more. What do you want to do?"

Lana thinks for a few seconds, scratching her cheek. "Well, we can either walk around the shithole that is Las Vegas…or…" Lana grins mischievously. "Or we can go back to my apartment to watch tv and make out. And...well, whatever happens, happens. If you think you can take me."

Quinn tilts his head, smiling. "Like I said, complete dom. But I'll try my best to please you. I've never really...done this before, making out and...anything else, um, with any girl, but I'll try my best with you."

Lana punches Quinn's other arm. "And that's all I'll ever want," she says, grabbing his arm and eagerly pulling him in the direction of her apartment. They were both happy, and they were both together, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
